It seems that children where I live have lost the ability to walk. It’s true!
Even though it’s a village school, a lot of children travel to school by car – they may only live around the corner, but they can’t walk too far – obviously! If it’s raining they might get wet, if it’s windy they’ll get cold – bless ‘em.
The result is a nightmare of traffic congestion, usually enhanced by really bad drivers, I hasten to add, and parking rage. I kid you not.
So, for those who have chosen not to go by car, what do they do? Ask their charming offspring to walk? Oh no, no, no. Because children can’t walk, can they? No, they scoot.
There’s one narrow pavement on the road up to the school. It’s full of people, and now it’s full of maniac children, trying to go as fast as they can, with no sense of direction or consideration for others. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve had a scooter wheel in the back of my leg, or had to jump out of the way before being run over. By a child. And then the long suffering parents, have to carry the scooters home, once their children have been safely (or not so safely) delivered to school. (Serves ‘em right).
Let them walk! I say, but no one’s listening. Especially not one woman I saw the other day, who parked her car a few metres from the school gate, let her children out and then opened the boot to get the scooters out. Metres, I repeat metres! Make them walk! What is the hope for the future I wonder?
Grumpy old woman signing off now.
